Darvish Fakhr is an Iranian American artist living in the UK, whose work ranges from painting to movement. In his practice, he amalgamates disparate cultures by overlaying various concepts and aesthetics through interference, fusing Western techniques with Eastern philosophies, such as incorporating Persian poetry into oil paintings or converting a skateboard into a flying carpet. He calls his movement “gentle civic disruptions,” inspired by the practice and image of the whirling dervish. Much like the interference found in his paintings, Darvish cross-pollinates aspects of his Iranian heritage with his Western upbringing. He challenges preconceptions by mocking stereotypes through humor, invention and useing lightness and concepts of flying as metaphors for accessing ideas of freedom.
“My work is a test case in cultural tolerance. My life and my art is rooted in concepts of nowness. I look for various ways of straddling extremes as a test case for tolerance and creativity, by celebrating our inherent contradictions. One moment I am carefully rendering the turn of a cheek bone in space, the next I am vandalizing it. One moment I am paying homage to purity of Sufi mysticism from the East, the next I am coveting cash from the West. One moment my body is a temple, the next I am riding dirt bikes over the pews. Dance and Painting is how I am best able to split the moment and climb through to something outside of myself.” explains Darvish.
He has exhibited and performed internationally, included at The Armory Show in New York, and is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. He currently lives and works in Brighton, UK.
Name :
Darvish (humble) + Fakhr (proud) = work in progress
Birthplace :
Newfoundland, Canada (for some reason).
Place of residence :
Brighton,UK (birthplace of my mother)
Métier :
Opening up, tapping in.
Sources of inspiration :
The Creator. Watching Bob Ross while eating Lego waffles, when I was 10. Spirals. Outcasts. Rembrandt and Storyboard P.
Sources of motivation :
Leyla, Pasha and Elan.
What makes you happy :
My wife’s Persian rice. Anderson Paak on repeat. Flow States of any kind.
Beauty tips :
Roll around on balls of various sizes. Go part time. If you have a beard, carry a comb.
Favorite reads :
The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse. The Art Spirit by Robert Henri.
Favorite tunes :
Changes daily, but I just checked my phone and the last three songs I listened to were by 1. Jack White, “Love Interruption” (hmm good name for my next exhibition) 2. Outkast, “Git Up, Git Out” (…also a good name) 3. Daniel Herskadel, “The Mistral Noir” (…too romantic).
Favorite foods :
Persian. Cereal at midnight. Pomegranate seeds while watching Superbowl.
Favorite ways to unwind :
Moving in slow motion. Gua Sha. Voodoo floss. Hanging upside down. Rolling. Skating. Roller-skating. Seeing exhibitions in London with my father.
Favorite part of living in Brighton :
Dancing on my balcony at the ocean’s pace. Backing and forthing on skates. Mostly peaceful, tolerant and trust-worthy folk.
What gets you in a working flow :
A sprinkle of baby powder on the floor. Pretending that everything I do is just warm up for something else. Wearing soft shoes.
What are you working on now :
Personna of ‘D-Light’ the guy who has stopped racing and is happy with going nowhere fast. A series of Non-NFT’s in oil. Large Iranian desert scapes in charcoal.
Favorite motto / quote :
‘There is a road from me to you that I’m constantly looking for’ – Molanna Rumi
& “Finding a way to live together without violence or hostility will require a kind of creativity and invention.” Edward Said, 1978
Photography by Hugh Fox